Like Fiyah
by Nicolette134
Summary: Lucas and Maya reflect on the unavoidability of their relationship. 'Cause they've got the fire, and, hell, they're gonna let it burn.
1. Chapter 1

Sarah wasn't wrong when she said they were like fire. It was natural; they were older, both physically and emotionally, and with such, let's say _maturity_ , comes an inclination for more, erm, _fiery_ feelings.

They'd always been fairly physical with each other, right from the start, and he was different with her than with Riley in that way. Riley was still a kid in so many ways, and she'd be fragile no matter how old she got, he knew, and touching her just didn't feeling the same as touching the blonde beauty. He was a boy, he couldn't help _those_ sorts of feelings from sneaking out every once in a while.

And that was the other issue, wasn't it? Riley was pretty, too, but Maya, Maya was something else entirely. He'd seen _grown men's_ heads turn when Maya passed them on the streets- he'd wanted to break their necks for it, sure, but could really blame them when he was just as bad as them? If she weren't such a _goddess_ maybe he'd've had an easier time keeping her out of his, you know, _dreams_.

That'd been what'd started it, after all, the dreams. As much as he liked Riley, and he did, he really did, there was something about Maya just tugging at his subconscious. He certainly couldn't discuss it with Farkle, he wasn't sure if the other boy would ever grow to see his two gorgeous best friends that way, but Zay'd understood immediately, what he'd meant by 'the blonde beauty'.

Of course, you can't build a relationship off of _just_ the physical stuff, but there was an emotional draw there too. His shortstack had gone through so much already, it just made him want to wrap her up in a hug and protect her from all the scary stuff out there, all the things locked up in her dungeon of sadness. She'd joke about it like it was no big deal, but he _knew_ the passing comments about her family life, something he too was guilty of, got under her skin, and his heart had broken for her when she'd faced her dad. He felt terrible for pushing her into the decision, and he knew he'd regret it the rest of his life; he _never_ wanted to see her in that kind of pain again. He liked the role of the strong protector; it suited him and it allowed him to go against his uncaring father. Maya allowed ample opportunities for him to hold this role, but she challenged him to be more than that, because she so often _didn't_ need him around, she was perfectly able to take care of herself, thankyouverymuch. He saw a lot of himself mirrored in her; fiercely loyal and independent, with a tendency to act a little too rashly at times. She matched him, they were a perfect match.


	2. Chapter 2

Let's face it, this was all her fault. After all, Riley'd only fallen for Lucas after she'd pushed her into his lap and _told her_ to like him. So, there was no one for her to blame but herself. As usual.

It wasn't just the fact that he was absolutely gorgeous; or that when he put his hands on her, which she found seemed to happen a lot, her skin felt like it was on fire, only to be left burning for his touch a moment later. No, what she really liked about Lucas was his- ugh, should couldn't believe she was even admitting this- _personality_.

She hadn't dated much in middle school because she hadn't much been interested in middle school boys; and trust that she'd had her pick of them. They were immature, childish, and quite frankly most of them were scared of her. Lucas was none of those things. He was the first guy who'd been able to put her in her place and had lived to tell the tale, he had a dark side, and he'd definitely experienced more than, say, _Farkle_. Don't get it wrong, she loves the kid, but she loves him like a brother. A little brother. One who probably still sleeps with a nightlight. But she was above all that, or at the very least that's what she told herself.

That'd been her primary attraction to good ole uncle josh. He was cute, he was a Matthews, and he was going to _college_ ; what more could a girl ask for? He was perfect in her eyes, although in hindsight, marry him just to be part of the Matthews family was fairly counter-intuitive, because she was already as much a Matthews as anyone; she learned that lesson from Shawny. But her crush on her best friend's uncle had remained because, unattainable as he was, he _still_ made more sense for her to try to go for him than Lucas.

Lucas was Riley's, she'd known that. As discussed, she'd made it happen. But that didn't stop a something in the pit of her stomach from clenching up at the thought of him climbing on that bull. If something'd happened to him, before something'd happened to _them_ she didn't know what she would've done.

See, besides hating to see her friends hurt, Maya'd always had a sneaking suspicion that someday it would be her turn. That as they got older Riles would realize that Lucas wasn't the one she was destined for- uh duh, Farkle much?- and then she and the cowboy'd have their time in the sun. They just made sense together; opposites may attract, but birds of a feather flock together, don't they? Lucas would've sheltered Riley too much, otherwise he would've crushed her image of him, and he would've resented her for trying to change him. Farkle would've regressed to a straight up robot, if Riley weren't there to pull him out of his funk after Smackle dumped him to 'focus on her studies'. It's a wonder it even took them as long as it did for the two of them to get together. They were, after all, like 'fiyah', and, hell, she was ready to burn.


End file.
